NEW YORK – It took 18 innings, but Columbia grinded out two consecutive walk-off wins in extra innings to sweep the doubleheader against Dartmouth Friday afternoon at the Columbia Softball Stadium.
The Lions improve to 9-14 overall for the season with a 5-3 mark in Ivy League play. Columbia will be looking for its first conference sweep of the season Saturday when the series wraps up with a 1 p.m. first pitch. The series finale originally scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday has been moved up to finish off the weekend.
"We were just gritty," Columbia Head Coach
Jennifer Teague said. "We have not had many complete games and to get two complete games in extra innings out of (the pitchers) just shows how much growth we have as we go through the season. In that first game we were just hitting it right at people. They just kept grinding. It was a great team effort. They had great energy on the bench, which I really appreciate. Our catchers did a great job and Beth (Krysiak) did a great job calling games."
GAME 1
The first game of Friday's doubleheader was a low scoring pitcher's battle as the game went to extra innings tied, 1-1. Dartmouth scored the first run of the day in the top of the third inning on an RBI single. The Lions answered back in the bottom of the sixth with a run. Neither team would score again until the tenth inning when the Big Green plated a run and Columbia responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame to walk it off.
Senior
Bubba Gleaves reached on a single and moved to second on a throwing error by the Dartmouth pitcher to get the sixth inning started. Sophomore
Cami Neal then followed with an RBI base hit that scored Gleaves to tie the game.
A two-out RBI single off the bat of Jenna Brown put Dartmouth in front heading to the home half of the tenth inning. Junior
Jaden Hill quickly stole the momentum back for the Lions with a solo shot to left center to lead off the bottom of the frame and tie the game.
Gleaves stepped up next and was hit by a pitch to get on base. Neal then knocked a base hit to left center to put two runners on. Sophomore
Caroline Palys came to the plate next and hit a walk-off RBI single that scored Gleaves to give Columbia the 3-2 win.
Junior right-hander Raquel Ryes (3-4) had one of her best performances of the season as she pitched a ten-inning complete game. In 149 total pitches, Reyes allowed just two runs on 10 hits while striking out four batters.
Game 2
Dartmouth took the early lead in the second game of the afternoon as the Big Green plated a run in the top of the first inning.
Columbia answered back with a three-spot in the bottom of the second on a three-run homer off the bat of junior
Maddy Rifenberick. First-year
Eleni Katsivalis reached on a fielder's choice before fellow first-year
Sarah Mikami singled up the middle to put two Lions on with one out. Rifenberick stepped up the plate next and launched her first home run of the season to give Columbia a 3-1 lead.
The Big Green added another run in the top of the third before Columbia added a run in the bottom of the fourth. Katsivalis and Mikami drew back-to-back one-out walks to set up Rifenberick's fourth RBI of the game. Rifenberick stepped up and belted a double that scored Katsivalis to give the Lions a 4-2 advantage.
Dartmouth rallied back with two runs in the top of the fifth frame to tie the game. After two scoreless innings, the Lions and Big Green found themselves in extra innings for the second time Friday.
Still tied in the bottom of the eighth Katsivalis drew a one-out walk to get on base. After a Mikami pop up, Rifenberick came to the plate with two outs. Rifenberick stepped up and hit her second long ball of the game. The two-run shot sealed the 6-4 walk-off win for the Lions.
Rifenberick finished the game with six RBI, accounting for all six of the Columbia runs scored. She went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs. She hit a double and two home runs in her best showing of the season.
"My approach today at the plate was to see big and swing big," Rifenberick said. "I came up to the plate with a plan. I am just happy I was able to contribute to my team a little bit. Everyone today was hitting bombs just right at people. I just happened to be the lucky one that happened to find gaps somewhere."
Sophomore right-hander
Jordan Hill (5-7) also played a critical role in the win as she pitched the second complete game of the day for the Lions. Hill allowed four runs on four hits as she picked up three strikeouts with 123 total pitches.
UP NEXT
The Lions close out the series against Dartmouth on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Columbia Softball Stadium. The series finale was originally scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday, but was moved up to finish the weekend.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
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